Door sealing device



DOOR SEALING DEVICE Filed May 4, 1964 J. H. WOLOOHOJIAN ET Al.

Aug. 2, 1966 A t qys,

1. m3, M e nm J i a a 3 United States Patent Ofiice 3,263,366 Patented August 2, 1966 3,263,366 DOOR SEALING DEVICE James H. Woloohojian, 233 Warrington St., and Harry J. Woloohojian, Jr., 211 Adelade Ave., both of Providence,

' Filed May 4, 1964, Ser. No. 364,397

1 Claim. c1. 49-314 The'present invention relates to a sealing device for a door. More particularly, the present invention relates to a sealing device that is adapted to be attached to the bottommost end of a door and that includes a spring-urged pivotally mounted sealing member that is movable from an open to a sealing position when the door is moved to the closed position thereof.

The sealing device embodied in the present invention is generally of the type that includes a sealing member that is normally maintained in a non-sealing position when the door to which the device is attached is open. When the door is moved to a closed position, an elongated strip to which the sealing member is secured engages an abutment located on the jamb of the door frame and is moved to a closed position. The bottommost edge of the door is then sealed by contact of the sealing member with the surface over which the door is mounted. Prior to the instant invention, sealing devices of the type embodied herein have .included some form of a spring construction for normally urging the sealing member to an outer position when the door is open. These spring constructions as used in the prior known door sealing devices although being operable for the purpose intended have beenfound to be objectionable because of deficiencies in operation after extended periods of use and because of the difficulty of the assembly thereof with respect to the members that defined these prior known sealing devices. The present invention incorporates a unique spring assembly and provides for the mounting of a spring member in a slot that is formed intermediate an elongated strip. The elongated strip is pivotally connected to a bracket or body portion that is fixed to the bottommost edge of a door, the spring member being retained in the slot of the elongated strip .by the spring ends that engage the body portion and the strip. A depending lip that is formed as an integral part of the body portion and that overhangs the strip, further aids in retaining the spring member in position in the slot. One of the ends of the spring member is received in a notch formed in the depending lip, thereby positively locking the elongated strip against longitudinal movement with respect to the body portion.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to pro vide a sealing device for a door that includes a spring member that is locked in an elongated strip of the sealing device and that is operable to normally urge the strip and a sealing member secured thereto to a non-sealing position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door sealing device that includes a spring member, the ends of which are located in engagement with a fixed body portion and an elongated strip that is pivotally mounted with respect to the body portion, the spring member being operative to normally urge the strip to a non-sealing position and being further operative to prevent relative longitudinal movement of the strip with respect to the body portion.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sealing device tor a door having a novel spring connection for pivotally interconnecting the elements that define the device.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated by us for carrying out our invention:

FIG. 1 is an end elevational view of the sealing device embodied herein showing the location of the sealing device on the lower end of a door and in the sealing position on a threshold over which the door is mounted, the non-sealing position of the device being illustrated in the dotted line figure.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view, with parts shown in section, of the sealing device illustrating the position of the spring member thereof with respect to the elongated strip and body portion to which the spring member is secured.

FIG. '3 is a sectional view taken along lines 33 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the pivotally mounted elongated strip showing the portion that is cut out from the beaded edge thereof for receiving the spring member therein.

Referring now to the drawing, and particularly to FIG. 1 the lower end of a door indicated at 10 is illustrated, the

door 10 being pivotally mounted on a door frame in any conventional manner. Spaced from the bottommost end of the door '10 is a threshold v12 with which the sealing deviceof the present invention is adapted to make contact in the sealing position thereof. However, it is understood that the sealing device may engage the floor or surface over which the door 10 is mounted when a threshold is not required, such as in a commercial entrance-way.

The sealing device of the present invention is generally indicated at 14 and includes an elongated bracket or body portion generally indicated at 16 that is adapted to be fixed to the outer side or face of the door 10 adjacent to the lowermost end thereof. The body portion 16 includes a vertical wall 18 in which a plurality of openings (not shown) are formed, through which openings suitable screws project for securing the. body portion :16 to the door 10. Integrally joined to the wall 18 is a curved portion 20 in which an interior groove 22 is defined, and formed as an integral part of the curved portion 20 and cooperating therewith to define the groove 22, is a tail portion 26 and a depending lip 27.

Mounted for pivotal movement with respect to the body portion 16 is an elongated strip generally indicated at 28, a portion of which is illustrated in FIG. 4. The elongated strip 28 is defined by a wall 30 on the uppermost end of which a beaded edge 32 is formed. Joined to the lower end of the Wall 30 is an enlarged section 34 in which a C-shaped track 36 is formed. The beaded edge 32 is substantially cylindrical in configuration and has a diameter the dimension of which provides for slidable interengagement of the beaded edge 32 within the groove 22 that is formed in the body portion 16. Since the dimension or distance between the tail portion 26 and the lip 27 is less than the diameter of the beaded edge 32, the interconnection of the strip 28 with the body portion 16 is accomplished by slidably moving the beaded edge 32 Within the groove 22 in a longitudinal direction.

It is seen that since the elongated strip 30 is slidably moved into engagement with the body portion 16 within the groove 22, the strip 30 is pivotally mounted with respect to the body portion 16, the overlying lip 27 of the body portion 16 cooperating with the tail portion 26 to prevent lateral withdrawal of the beaded edge 32 from the groove 22.

Slidably mounted in the track 36 of the strip 28 is a sealing member 38 that is formed with an upper flange 40 having a configuration that conforms to that of the track 36, the upper fiangebeing located in a plane that is substantially parallel to the upper forward portion of the sealing member 38. The sealing member 38 is thus interengaged with the elongated strip 28 for movement therewith, the lowermost portion of the sealing member 38 engaging the upper surface of the floor over which the door is mounted. It is understood that the sealing member 38 is sufliciently flexible so as to conform to the surface with which it engages, thereby producing an effective sealing action therewith. It is also seen that the upper part of the strip 28 and the upper front part of the sealing member 38 are located in substantially the same plane, wherein the front surfaces of the strip 28 and the sealing member 38 are substantially flush or coextensive and thus define a surface area that is unobstructed and clean appearing.

' In a sealing device of a type embodied in the present invention, it is required that the sealing member 38 be pivotally moved to an outer position when the door is open. For this purpose a helically coiled spring member 40 is provided and as shown in FIG. 2, the spring member 40 is positioned in a slot indicated at 42 that is cut out of the beaded portion 32 intermediate the ends of the strip 28. The diameter of the helical coils of the spring member 40 is generally the same as that of the beaded portion 32, the spring member 40 thus being fully received in the slot 42 defined by the cut away portion of the beaded edge 32 and conforming to the groove 22 in the body portion. It is seen that lateral movement of the spring member 40 in the slot 42 is prevented by the overlying tail portion 26 and lip 27 formed in the body portion 16.

In order to firmly lock the spring member 40 in position and to further prevent relative movement of the strip 28 with respect to the body portion 16, the spring member is formed with opposed ends 44 and 46 that are adapted to engage the lip 27 of the body portion 16 and the wall of the strip 28 respectively. As seen in FIG. 2, the end 44 is located in a notch 48 that is formed in the depending lip 27, the spring member thus being locked in place against longitudinal movement and in effect, interlocking the body portion 16 to the strip 28 so as to prevent relative longitudinal movement therebetween.

In assembling the device, the spring member 40 is first located with the slot 42 and the elongated strip 28 is then slidably interfitted with the body portion 16 by moving the beaded edge 32 within the groove 22. The strip 28 is moved relative to the body portion 16 until the spring ,end 44 snaps into the groove 48 to interlock the elements.

With the elements of the sealing device 14 assembled as illustrated in the drawing and with the device mounted on the bottom end of the door 10 as shown in FIG. 1, the elongated strip 28 and the sealing member 38 joined thereto are normally located in an outwardly pivoted position as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1. In this position, the door 10 is open and the spring 40 has urged the elongated strip 30 and sealing member 28 joined thereto to the upwardly pivoted position thereof. Movement of the door is thus uninhibited by the sealing device. When the door 10 is moved toward the closed position thereof, the elongated strip 28 is moved into contact at one end thereof with an abutment indicated at 50 in FIG. 1, the abutment being secured to a fixed jamb of the door frame. The wall 30 of the elongated strip 28 strikes the abutment 50 and since the abutment is mounted on thefixed jamb that defines part of the door frame, further closing movement of the door 10 will move the sealing device to the position illustrated in full lines in FIG. 1. In this position the sealing member 38 is located in engagement with the threshold 12 or in engagement with a surface over which the door 10 is mounted.

Because of the unique constructional arrangement of the spring member 40 as disposed within the slot 42, the sealing device 14 is universal in application. That is to say, the sealing device may be employed with either left hand or right hand doors as desired. It is seen that the parts of the sealing device as described herein are economically produced and assembled and in the assembled position it is seen that the pivotal movement of the elongated strip 28 with respect to the body portion 16 is effectively produced by the interaction of the beaded edge 32 within the groove 22. In the assembly of the device, the elongated strip 28 with the sealing member 38 attached thereto is moved into the locked position thereof by merely sliding the beaded edge 32 within the groove 22 and moving the elongated strip 28 with respect to the body portion 16 until the ends thereof are substantially aligned. In the assembly operation, the spring 40 is positioned within the slot 42 and when the elongated strip 48 is, moved to the assembled position thereof, the end 44 of the spring member 40 snaps into the notch 48 thereby interlocking the strip 28 to thebody portion 16. The interengagement of the end 44 of the spring member 40 with the notch 48 defines a positive lock and insures that the body portion 16 and strip 28 will be retained in locked position during use of the device.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodied in the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifica- 'tions and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described, except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a sealing device for a door, an elongated body portion that is adapted to be secured to said door at the lower end thereof, said body portion including a forwardly'extending portion that terminates in a depending lip and a tail portion spaced from said forwardly extending portion and depending lip and defining an interior groove therewith, said interior groove extending longi tudinally for the length of said body portion, an elongated strip including an upper beaded edge that is received in said longitudinally extending groove and having a configuration that conforms to that of said groove, the depending lip cooperating with said tail portion to effectively envelop said beaded edge and providing for pivotal movement of said strip with respect to said body portion, an enlarged section formed on the lowermost end of said strip, said enlarged section being located rearwardly with respect to the upper plane of said strip and having a longitudinal track formed therein that extends substan tially the length thereof, an elongated resilient sealing member having an upper flange formed thereon that extends rearwardly of the plane of the front of the sealing member, the upper part of said strip and the upper front part of sealing member being substantially in the same plane, and the rear portion of the sealing member having a configuration that conforms to that of saidtrack and is in a plane substantially parallel to the upper forward portion of said sealing member, said flange being received in said track to lock said'sealing member to said strip, the uppermost end of said sealing member abutting the lowermost end of the strip and the outer surfaces of said strip and sealing member being substantially coextensive, the lowermost end of said sealing member extending downwardly for engagement with a surface above which the door is mounted when the door is closed, the upper beaded edge of said strip that is received in said groove being imperforate substantially throughout the length thereof with the exception of a cutout portion that is formed intermediate the ends thereof and that defines a slot in said beaded edge, and a spring positioned in said slot and including ends, one of which engages said body portion and the other of which engages said strip, wherein said strip and sealing member engaged therewith are normally retained in a nonsealing position by said spring when said door is located in the open position thereof, said spring having a diameter substantially that of said beaded edge and being retained in said slot by the interaction of References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1883 Cady 20-67 11/1957 Menzies 20-67 0 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Examiner.

A. I. BREIER, Assistant Examiner. 

